Any officer who joins a new department has to be faced with the ethical dilemma of what is right and wrong. An officer, who witnesses another officer accepting a bribe, is left with the burden of deliberating if they should report what they witnessed. The rules and regulations for any department come into question when an officer is faced with such situation. Criminal justice personnel are projected to up hold the code of ethics no matter what, but can often be broken up individually by others. “This can result in the chance of ethical questions regarding corruption and unethical behavior has become an escalating task in criminal justice” (Writing, 1999).
“Police corruption is frequently seen as an isolated issue unique to officers in large cities or other departments. Denial and refusal to accept the possibility for ethical compromise and corruption at department level stops administrators and officers from developing an in-depth understanding and comprehension of the issues” (Gilmartin & Harris, 1998).
An officer has to decide what measures he or she will take when faced with an ethical dilemma. Any officer who joins a department is sworn in to serve and protect the public and uphold the law. The officer must first speak with the other officer in confidence about the out of place behavior and repeat to him that what he is doing is wrong and unethical. Let him know that in the case that others find out, it can hurt his profession, as well as humiliating the department. In the case that the officer does not care about the warnings he received and keeps accepting bribes, then it is time to let the superiors know about the situation and your worries. Let the supervisor know that you do not want to be judged as a snitch, but are worried about the unethical behavior of an officer in the department. Explain that it is important to avoid any embarrassment upon the department. After the conference with the manager,